Provincially, employment losses were recorded in the Eastern Cape (-111,000), Limpopo (-40,000), North West (-30,000) and Northern Cape (-2,000). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compared to Q3 2023, the largest employment increase was recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (+62,000), followed by Mpumalanga (+48,000) and Western Cape (+23,000) during the same period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The provinces with the most employed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the latest data,\u00a0the Western Cape has the lowest unemployment rate (standard definition) in South Africa<\/strong>\u00a0at 22.2%<\/strong>, meaning it has the most people working versus unemployed in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is then followed by Kwa-Zulu Natal (31.1%), Limpopo (31.4%), and Northern Cape (32%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, the Western Cape is the only province that has consistently been well below the South African average official unemployment rate over the past ten years, with KZN toeing the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By contrast, over the last ten years, the Eastern Cape has consistently been above the average official unemployment rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the situation is much worse for most provinces when considering the\u00a0expanded definition<\/strong>\u00a0of unemployment\u2014which includ<\/span>es discouraged work seekers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The extended unemployment rate in South Africa’s provinces ranges from 27.3% to 54.2%, with the Western Cape being the only province with a rate below 30% on the expanded definition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One province \u2013 the North West \u2013 has more adults out of work and not looking than people who are employed<\/strong>, with an unemployment rate of 54.2%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the Eastern Cape is at a tipping point and could soon join the North West, as its unemployment rate is 49.7%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the last few quarters, the unemployment numbers have worsened for the Eastern Cape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s important to note that the Eastern Cape is the only one of South Africa’s nine provinces currently in a recession, which is causing the province to be dangerously close to having more people unemployed than working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC) reported that while South Africa’s economy contracted in the first quarter of 2024, some provinces were hit harder by poor economic conditions than others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the South African economy shrank by 0.1% in the first quarter of 2024, down from the 0.3% growth recorded in the previous quarter and lower than the 0.9% rate projected by the IMF for 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, comparing year-on-year, the national GDP decreased by 0.7 percentage points from 0.6% in the first quarter of 2023. Although most provinces experienced economic contractions, the Eastern Cape’s economy contracted for the third consecutive quarter, officially entering into a recession in the first quarter of 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The provincial economy declined by 0.3% in 2024Q1, following contractions of 0.1% and 0.3% in 2023Q4 and 2023Q3, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Eastern Cape’s GDP, at market prices, declined from R368.8 billion in 2023Q4 to R366.9 billion in 2024Q1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In comparison to other provinces, the Eastern Cape accounted for 7.9% of the national GDP, while Gauteng (33.9%), KwaZulu Natal (16.6%), and Western Cape (14.2%) were the largest contributors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Only two industries in the Eastern Cape, agriculture and electricity, experienced positive growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The largest negative contributors to the decline in GDP in the first quarter were construction (down by 2.9%), manufacturing (down by 1.5%), mining (down by 1.2%), and transport (down by 0.7%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-13-140610.png\")
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